Rhine Barnes

My Journey to hike the Otter Hiking Trail

I have recently returned from hiking the Otter Trail in the Tsitsikamma National Park. It was an arduous five days that took me into deep ravines and to high mountain peaks, cool forest trails and exposed rock faces along the coast. What an amazing experience it was to hike this wonderful part of our country. I finished this wonderful hike and although it was tough, I felt great and would do it again in a heat beak.

While I may have completed the hike just the other day, my journey to the Otter Hiking Trail actually started a few years ago when on an ordinary day at work, I suffered a stroke. I had been taking medication for hypertension; I was on my fifth bout of bronchitis for the year and I was experiencing many of the symptoms that are so often experienced by obese people. My weight was 169kg and my BMI was 56. I was clinically diagnosed as being morbidly obese.

With less than ten days to go to the first World Soccer Cup to be played on African soil and everyone running around buying vuvuzela’s by the score, soccer jerseys and getting into the atmosphere that surrounds a tournament of this magnitude, I suddenly found myself lying in the ICU of our local hospital. I had not been in a hospital in many years but I knew from the faces that were staring down at me that I was not in a good place in terms of my condition. Doctors were calling consultants who were calling specialists and surgeons who in turn were ordering one test after the other to be performed so that the extent of my condition could be determined.

Photo of me before the operation

Anyone who has been in this situation will tell you that your mind is filled with all the possibilities and the likelihood that you may not walk out of the hospital, suddenly becomes very real. I thought about my family and especially my grandchildren and I was filled with a deep sense of sadness that I would not be able to spend any more time with them should I die. There was still so much that I wanted to do but I was not sure if I would get the time to do them. I had been warned, but like most, the warnings went unheeded. My weight had spiralled out of control.

While lying in ICU with oxygen flowing in my nostrils and drips in my veins, I made up my mind that I would take every opportunity presented to me to overcome the situation; I would listen to the doctors and comply with their instructions. The cardiologist and neurologist were very concerned about my weight and together, they arranged for Dr Potgieter to come and see me, and in his usual tactful way, Doctor Potgieter laid it on the line for me. He introduced me to the possibility of undergoing bariatric surgery as an aid to my weight loss programme and, this is where my journey to the Otter Hiking Trail started.

The initial recovery was long and I was at home recovering while the world’s best soccer teams did battle in our new stadiums. It was during this time that I started attending the Bariatric Surgery Support Group Meetings. I did not have much to say at the meetings and was not even sure about what questions I wanted to ask. Every question that someone else asked was a good one and the answers were not always what you wanted to hear but they were honest and they were sincere.

I went for the evaluations with the psychiatrist and the dietician as well as with Dr Potgieter, the neurologist and my cardiologist and together they supported my application for the surgery. My medical aid turned down my application for authorisation and it took a further three months of motivating to get the approvals in place. Even though everything was falling into place, I was not sure if I could or even wanted to go through with the operation. I had researched everything I could, I was still attending the support group meeting but I knew, that in the end, it had to be my decision because it was going to be my journey. It took a full eight months for me to be certain that I not only wanted to but could take on this journey and so began the next phase of my journey to hike the Otter Trail.

On Friday, 29th April 2011, I reported to the N1 City Hospital having decided that if I was going to get my life back, and that I needed to do whatever it takes to do so. Since the stroke, I had been taking a multitude of tablets for a variety of complaints that are synonymous with obese people. These included blood pressure pills, blood thinners, asthma pumps, cholesterol tablets, etc.

I remember being wheeled down the passage to the operating theatre and thinking to myself, if you are not sure, now is the time to say so. But, I had made my resolve and when I woke up after the operation my first thought was, you are now committed. The journey has started.

My initial experiences were no different to many post-operative bariatric surgery patients. Some things agreed with me and some things didn’t. You stuck to the rules and the eating plan and the transformation begins. It may not have been evident to me at first but it certainly was to people around me. People who had never spoken to me before were greeting, or even stopping to a conversation. Whether or not I told them was entirely up to me and I could choose who and when I disclosed the path I had chosen.

A few months after the operation my physical needs started to change and I needed to get out and stretch my legs, something I had not done in a long time. I got into a walking routine and then added some gym work to this. Nothing serious but just making sure that I try to keep the muscles in tone while exercising the body. My clothing size was changing rapidly and I had gone from a size 6XL shirt to an XL. My trousers were a size 38 from the 56 that I had been wearing.

I was eight months post-op when some friends invited me to join them on a hike. They had booked the Otter Hiking Trail and there was a space for me if I wanted it. I had hiked for many years and was familiar with the Otter Trail. I also knew that it was not an easy hike, and required a certain level of fitness and stamina.

This then became my goal, and as I exercised, it became the one thing that was foremost in my mind, will I be ready when the time comes?

In the final weeks leading up to our departure to the Tsitsikamma Park, I went to see my cardiologist for a check-up. I must also mention at this time that on the advice of my cardiologist, I was no longer taking any blood thinners, blood pressure or cholesterol tablets. I have never had another bout of bronchitis and I was no longer using an asthma pump. The cardiologist gave me a clean bill of health for the Otter hike. My next step was to go see Doctor Potgieter for my annual post-operative check. Again, everything was good. Judy Kotze, my dietician, was very excited by my progress and the upcoming Otter hike. Judy wanted to make sure I had the right nutrition for the hake and very kindly referred me to a dietician at the Sports Science Institute who could help me with my eating plan. Following a thorough assessment, I was given an eating plan for the hike.

And so it was that I found myself on Monday morning, 23 July 2012, a few days short of fifteen months since my bariatric surgery took place with a 19kg rucksack on my back, about to start the five day Otter Trail. My BMI; 32, my weight; 105kg.

Archives

Archives

‘Love Your Body’ to Lose Weight

Almost a quarter of men and women in England and over a third of adults in America are obese. (In South Africa statistics on the percentage of overweight and obese people indicate that obesity and its co-morbidities are on the increase, with Cape Town leading the way!) Obesity increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease and can significantly shorten a person's life expectancy. New research published by BioMed Central's open access journal International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity shows that improving body image can enhance the effectiveness of weight loss programs based on diet and exercise.

Researchers from the Technical University of Lisbon and Bangor University enrolled overweight and obese women on a year-long weight loss program. Half the women were given general health information about good nutrition, stress management, and the importance of looking after yourself. The other half attended 30 weekly group sessions (the intervention plan) where issues such as exercise, emotional eating, improving body image and the recognition of, and how to overcome, personal barriers to weight loss and lapses from the diet were discussed. On the behavioral intervention plan women found that the way they thought about their body improved and that concerns about body shape and size were reduced. Compared to the control group they were better able to self-regulate their eating and they lost much more weight, losing on average 7% of their starting weight compared to less than 2% for the control group. Dr Teixeira from Technical University of Lisbon, who led the research, said, "Body image problems are very common amongst overweight and obese people, often leading to comfort eating and more rigid eating patterns, and are obstacles to losing weight. Our results showed a strong correlation between improvements in body image, especially in reducing anxiety about other peoples' opinions, and positive changes in eating behavior. From this we believe that learning to relate to your body in healthier ways is an important aspect of maintaining weight loss and should be addressed in every weight control program."

Motivation

incred Medical Finance

Also known as bariatric surgery, weight loss surgery constitutes a number of procedures all with one goal in mind being weight loss for the patient suffering from obesity. Along with this primary goal, other effects from such procedures are an improvement in cardiovascular functions and decrease in associated risk or even full recovery from diabetes. The procedures involved can either make use of specific apparatus or even altering of the digestive organs.

Rules for Successful Dieting

Follows five basic rules:

Rule One: Eat Your Target Protein Every Day

By consuming the minimum amount of protein for your body, you maintain energy, muscle mass, and keep your hunger in check.Rule Two: Take Your Supplements Every Day
The daily nutritional supplements we prescribe to you will have a positive effect on your long-term health, energy, and longevity. Rule Three: Drink Water Every Day
As your body burns calories, waste products are released through urine. Drinking at least 64 ounces of water daily helps release these waste products so they don’t build up and slow your metabolism.Rule Four: Continue an Exercise Program
Getting the right amount of exercise is an essential part of successful long-term weight control and total well-being. Rule Five: Be Consistent with Your Diet
If you stick to your daily eating prescription and keep your caloric intake consistent from day to day, you increase your chances of maintaining your optimal weightGet your Maintenance Diet Plan today contact our resident Dietitian:Judy Kotze - Dietitian Special interest: Bariatric Nutrition BSc (Dietetics) - Diploma in Hospital Dietetics M (Nutrition) Durbanville Medi-Clinic Tel: 27-21 975 2336 Fax 27-21 9752692 Mobile: 083 254 0919

Dr Etienne Swanepoel – Surgical Solution

Follow Us!

Support Group Monthly Meeting

Support Group Monthly Meeting

Bariatric Surgery Support (BSS) is a Cape Town based Support Group for people seeking information and Support about Weight-Loss Surgery. We deal with a host of pre and post operation issues aimed at facilitating your journey to a healthier life style.

Cosmetic Surgery Finance

First Health Finance offers medical payment plans to patients unable to afford a medical procedure, or where their medical aid does not cover the procedure. The offering is a specialised medical loan and is not in any way connected to a medical aid. Read More

Key Lifestyle Changes with Weight Loss Surgery

Some of the most important lifestyle changes to adapt to after weight loss surgery include:

* Slowly increasing physical activity
* Assessing and logging in daily food intake
* Undergoing counseling to adapt to the changing body image
* Eliminating social situations that promote overeating
* Tackling any emotional issues that triggered overeating with a therapist
* Making time to prepare special foods and meals to complement a healthier lifestyle